This work is a history of Glasgow University's botanic (or physic) gardens from medieval times to their destruction in 1870 when the old university buildings were sold to a railway company. The author draws on the archives of the university and other institutions, and uses letters, draft notes, memoranda and college accounts to build up a picture of the history of the gardens. In 1577 James VI granted the university a new charter and the development of the gardens gathered pace until the mid-eighteenth century. The author examines their importance to the university both as an adornment and as a step in the institution of a professorship of medicine. The work also covers the history of a time when Glasgow was beginning to emerge as Scotland's most important city as a result of trade with America.